Working from Morning Till 22:00 Without Money: Minibus Driver

We have not yet received our salary for the month of March. This was stated by several employees of the 'Yerevan Minibus Transport' LLC in an interview with Auroranews. It should be noted that the company is considered one of the largest operating minibus services in the capital. The employees mentioned that they are in an extreme situation.

'We work from 7:30 in the morning until 22:00 at night and go home without a single dram. Sometimes, we find ourselves in a situation where we cannot even pay the daily 'plan money' of 4000 drams,' said driver Paruyr Vardanian in an interview with Auroranews.

We inquired how much money they earn on average during the day after returning to work. 'On average, 13000 drams, sometimes less. From that amount, we put 9000 into the gas for the vehicle, we take a break for 1000 drams—although recently that hasn't always been the case—and we give the rest to the company. It turns out that I work from early morning, but today my apartment is without electricity because I have not had the opportunity to pay my electricity bill. It’s the first time in all these years that we are speaking up about such a problem, but we also need to understand because living this way is simply impossible. Some drivers, seeing that I'm talking to the media, said that I might face problems, but what can I do?' the driver noted.

When asked if he had tried to look for other work during this time, the driver replied, 'Of course I've tried. Wherever I go, I am seen as a good driver, but from all places, I am told the situation won't improve until September. I am not asking anyone for money; I just need work so that I can support my family, as I have done in previous years.' Recently, after a protest, we were included in the 8th aid program and received 64000 drams in support, but who doesn't know that most people living in Armenia are dependent on banks? I paid off my loan with that money,' Vardanian emphasized again, noting that he is not asking anyone for money. It is highlighted that many drivers of route taxis are facing a similar problem and regularly contact the Auroranews newsroom to make their issues known to the government.